Walker, Ryan opt to keep quiet on Trump
Republican brawl ties up conservative convention
National Harbor, Md. — On a day when the GOP’s 2016 front-runner and 2012 nominee staged an unprecedented intraparty brawl, highprofile Republicans either took sides, held their fire or watched in horror.
Mitt Romney, the GOP standardbearer four year ago, called current front-runner Donald Trump a fraud and a phony who would damage the economy and the nation’s security.
Trump called Romney a “choke artist” who bungled the last election and had begged Trump for his endorsement in 2012.
“I could have said, ‘Mitt, drop to your knees.’ He would have dropped to his knees,” said Trump.
As the party’s feuding rages, many Republicans were stuck in an awkward neutrality, unable or unwilling to take sides between Trump and a lurching, late-breaking but increasingly strident “Stop Trump” movement.
“I am going to keep my powder dry. I am speaker of the House, therefore I
each other as Democrats begin to unite around Hillary Clinton.
Underlying the clash is a bleak reality for panicking Republican officials: Beyond harsh words, there is little they see to stop Trump’s march toward the presidential nomination. Party leaders are poring over complicated delegate math, outlining hazy scenarios for a contested national convention and even flirting with the idea of a thirdparty effort.
Romney confidant Ron Kaufman, a senior member of the Republican National Committee, openly embraced the possibility of a contested convention: “If that’s the only way to stop Trump, it makes sense,” he said.
The GOP’s 2008 nominee, Arizona Sen. McCain, joined in, raising “many concerns about Mr. Trump’s uninformed and indeed dangerous statements on national security issues.” That echoes the worries of dozens of leading conservative defense and foreign policy officials.
As Kaufman suggested, Romney embraced what might seem a long-shot approach to deny Trump the delegates necessary to secure the nomination, though he did not call on Republicans to unify behind a single alternative.
“Given the current delegate selection process, this means that I would vote for Marco Rubio in Florida, for John Kasich in Ohio and for Ted Cruz or whichever one of the other two contenders has the best chance of beating Mr. Trump in a given state,” Romney said.
Romney advisers have recently sought information on a contested convention, though there appeared to be no concrete planning for that possibility and it was unclear whether their efforts signaled Romney’s own interest in becoming the GOP nominee through a floor fight, according to a Republican familiar with the efforts. That person was not authorized to discuss the plans publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity.
Another idea rumbling through power corridors in Washington was the prospect of a late third-party candidate to represent more mainstream conservatives.
Kaufman said third-party talk may be swirling around Romney, but he laughed it off. “It’s not happening,” he said.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been approached by “a mixture of people” about being part of a third-party bid, said Jeff Miller, who managed Perry’s failed GOP presidential campaign. But Miller said Perry found the idea “ludicrous.”
Suggesting that Romney may continue to have 2016 ambitions of his own, Trump said the 2012 nominee had “chickened out” earlier when he understood he’d be going up against the billionaire businessman.
“He doesn’t have what it takes to be president,” Trump said at a Portland, Maine, rally. “I made so much more money than Mitt.”
Romney’s views are irrelevant, he said. “Look, Mitt is a failed candidate.”
Fouryearsago, Romneyand Trump stood side by side in Las Vegas, with Trump saying it was a “real honor and privilege” to endorse Romney’s White House bid. Romney at the time praised Trump’s ability to “understand how our economy works and to create jobs for the American people.”
On Thursday, Trump said Romney “was begging me” for an endorsement that year.
“I could have said, ‘Mitt, drop to your knees.’ He would have dropped to his knees,” Trump said.
Earlier Thursday, in Utah, Romney assailed Trump’s temperament, his business acumen and his ability to keep America safe.
“If we Republicans choose Donald Trump as our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished,” he said.
Voters have not so far responded to such warnings. Trump padded his delegate lead with victories in seven Super Tuesday contests.
Still, the front-runner is not yet on track to claim the nomination before the party’s national gathering in July, according to an Associated Press delegate count. He has won 46% of the delegates awarded so far, and he would have to increase that to 51% in the remaining primaries.